🔗 Share this article

Alyssa Healy has produced superb back-to-back centuries to steer her team into the last four of the World Cup, inspiring them to a dominant 10-wicket trouncing over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished not out on 113 runs, coming just four days after her similarly impressive 142 that defeated hosts India at the identical Vizag stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated 200-run opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to dash to their target of 199 in just 24.5 overs.

“I thought I was a little bit poor behind the stumps, and perhaps a little bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the win and move on,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the supreme expertise of the day's run-chase as the duo added 202 runs came after possibly the team's shoddiest display in the field under the captain's stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in especial for spilling a couple of the six catches that went down.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and fortunately delivered,” Healy continued.

From the time data was first recorded on fielding statistics in 2013, the half-dozen missed catches represented Australia’s worst fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.

“Perhaps it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll review,” the captain said.

This allowed Bangladesh to manage 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat first, their highest score in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But Alana King mesmeric unbroken 10-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was key to making sure Australia’s target remained manageable.

Healy Delighted with Victory that Seals Semi-Final Spot

Healy was pleased to discover that the victory, which places her undefeated team at the top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures them a place in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.

The 35-year-old captain raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest century of the World Cup, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 balls she faced as she pulled away from her partner later in the innings after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

Litchfield Impresses with First World Cup Half-Century

Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and one maximum, reaching to her maiden World Cup fifty off 46 balls soon after Healy got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain dropped the easiest of chances off a teammate and also was unable to grasp a tough lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also take a clean catch off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the official turned down their shout.

The reinstated Darcie Brown bowled the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ most expensive bowling option, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as Alana King Stars

Instead, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by Alana King, whose spell could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

Fellow spinners Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Sutherland strengthened her standing as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her tally to 13.

A batter's 44 and Mostary’s not out 66 runs off 80 deliveries took the team to their highest-ever total against the Australians, but the total was rendered easy meat by a side who had successfully pursued 330 runs against the Indian side a few days earlier.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” said player-of-the-match King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate returning to the next venue to take on England and the Proteas.”